The Gite is at the far end of the Swallow Barn
Gite Hirondelle (Gite of the Swallows)
Swallows live in the hangar next door to the gite. From April to August they swoop and glide and it’s possible to spend hours watching them.
The Barn has a new roof. It’s metal – don’t think it’s a tin roof but who knows? It certainly expands in the heat. When we bought the property the Gite was habitable – but only just.
We almost left it as it was and just used it as a store room, Making it into our spare bedroom seemed just too hard to do. The major work was completed but there was a very old stove and polystyrene tiles. The place had no style at all – random pieces of furniture thrown in there to make it resemble a room.
We took a deep breath and decided to take everything out and clean it, Then we made a plan. A stove would give it warmth and character so that as our priority. Then painting it white so it was light and airy. We saw a ceiling in Italy which gave us inspiration to start to improve the ceiling. It was a significant job.
Hearth & Home….
Now with a stove, curtains, new shutters and a new window Gite Hirondelle is transformed. We found most of the furniture in an antique shop in Aigurande and with soft furnishings it is starting to be a pleasant place to be.
There is more to do in the Gite; some plasterboarding and boxing in the water tank. The bathroom is functional but could be inproved.
After much thought we maintained the kitchen area – so guests staying here will be able to make a cup of tea and use a fridge and microwave.
We plan to make a small terrace outside Gite Hirondelle in the future. For now it serves as a spare bedroom so guests use the house terrace directly across the Courtyard.
There is a new herb planter to the left of the Gite. Last year it had a range or annual climbers, basil, thyme and bright geraniums. There is a Virginia Creeper, Honeysuckle newly planted to scramble over the house along with the Passion Flower which climbs over the Well and the Gite is a long standing resident.
Champ de la Grange 